Transplant Nephrology Fellowship Program

Transplant hepatology fellows are expected to attend the weekly Monday post transplant management conference over the course of the 12-month program. The purpose of the conference is to make medical and surgical treatment decisions on newly transplanted inpatients and outpatients as well as complicated long-term liver transplant recipients. Trainees will interact with transplant hepatologists, transplant surgeons, post transplant nurse practitioners, and transplant pharmacists.

Transplant hepatology fellows are expected to attend the weekly Tuesday core curriculum conference over the course of the 12-month program. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the physiology, pathophysiology, evaluation, and management of acute and chronic hepatobiliary diseases. Topics to be discussed include but are not limited to viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, acute liver failure, drug-induced liver injury, vascular diseases of the liver, primary biliary cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, autoimmune hepatitis, hemochromatosis, Wilson disease, hepatobiliary diseases related to pregnancy, alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, and benign and malignant hepatobiliary tumors. Additionally, trainees will gain an understanding of complications of portal hypertension including prevention and treatment of variceal bleeding and re-bleeding, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, hepatopulmonary syndrome, portopulmonary hypertension, and hepatic hydrothorax. Transplant hepatology fellows will also gain an appreciation of the importance of nutrition, medical imaging, and pathology when assessing patients with acute and chronic liver diseases in the pre-transplant and post-transplant settings. Fellows will understand the indications, contraindications, and side effects of immunosuppressive medications and other agents applicable to the post-transplant setting. Other topics to be discussed include the variety of medical and surgical complications that can arise after transplantation.

The core curriculum conference will consist of didactic lectures, case presentations, and journal club. Fellows will be expected to periodically lead select conferences over the course of the 12-month program. We anticipate that key clinical faculty will mentor fellows in preparation for their presentations. All presentations at core curriculum conferences will be uploaded on the Georgetown Transplant institute share drive for later reference.

Transplant hepatology fellows are expected to attend research conferences over the course of the 12-month program. The MedStar Georgetown transplant institute has a variety of protocols pertaining to non-transplant and transplant hepatobiliary programs. Trainees are expected to present their work at these conferences.

Trainees are expected to attend the weekly Friday transplant surgery academic conference over the course of the 12-month program. A variety of topics are discussed including but not limited to journal club, morbidity and mortality conference, and didactics pertaining to hepatobiliary and transplant surgery. Guest speakers in addition to Georgetown faculty are frequently invited to present at these conferences.

Transplant hepatology fellows are expected to attend the weekly Wednesday pathology conference. As per ACGME, fellows are expected to review over 200 native and allograft biopsies over the course of the 12-month program. Trainees will interact closely with pathologists, transplant hepatologists, transplant surgeons, and post transplant nurse practitioners. Fellows are expected to present inpatients and outpatients whom they have seen during their mandatory rotations.

Transplant hepatology fellows are expected to attend the weekly Tuesday transplant selection committee conference. As per ACGME requirements, fellows will present a minimum of 10 patients undergoing liver transplant evaluations over the course of the year. Given the volume of the transplant program, fellows will typically present many more patients than the minimum required by ACGME. Fellows will interact closely with transplant hepatologists, transplant surgeons, pre liver transplant coordinators, nutritionists, social workers, psychiatrists, financial counselors and other staff as appropriate.

Transplant hepatology fellows are expected to attend the weekly Tuesday multidisciplinary hepatobiliary tumor conference over the course of the 12-month program. The purpose of the conference is to review imaging and make treatment decisions on patients with benign and malignant hepatobiliary tumors. Trainees will present cases and interact with transplant hepatologists, hepatobiliary surgeons, oncologists, radiation oncologists, diagnostic radiologists, and interventional radiologists.